Cape Town - Low-cost airline Mango is investigating fake recruitment scam, after receiving queries from unsolicited applicants earlier this week.
“The advertisement is being posted on social media channels page by a third party,” Mango spokesperson Hein Kaiser said in a media statement on Wednesday.
“It seems to be a carbon copy of a generic advertisement for cabin crew recruitment leading to what seems like a registration website.”
Kaiser said the airline is presently not recruiting flight attendants.
“Mango will always list official channels of correspondence, either directing parties to our websites or an email address with the flymango.com extension, through well branded channels,” he said.
Mango became aware of the advertisement after receiving queries from applicants early this week. “Our security department is presently investigating the matter,” said Kaiser and reminded consumers to remain vigilant.
“We would appreciate any information from persons already affected by this advertisement in order to assist with the ongoing investigation.”
SAA scam
In July South African Airways (SAA) also warned the public about a fake recruitment scam inviting interested parties to apply for training as cabin crew staff with the airline.
SAA released a statement saying the scam had been circulated via social media, suggesting the airline was looking for 500 candidates with a matric qualification to be trained as cabin crew.
READ: SAA warns of recruitment scam
Fraud and harassment
In May online classifieds company Gumtree warned users of cyber criminals who post fake job ads online.
"A lot of these adverts seem entirely legitimate, which is why it's important to do a quick check before providing your details," Claire Cobbledick, head of marketing for Gumtree SA, told Fin24.
Criminals typically target posting job ads with limited educational or experience criteria in order to attract the highest number of responses and it is not advisable that you immediately send through your CV containing all your personal details.
"If the company does not reveal its name in the advert (as many don't), send a very polite email requesting further details about the position and the business, stating that you are interested and would like to know a bit more," Cobbledick said.